Earlier this month, the Austin Prep Model United Nations team attended Brown University’s twenty-sixth annual conference. It was a relief to finally be able to attend in person and get the full experience instead at home from a computer. Delegates spent three days at the Omni hotel in downtown Providence and traveled to campus via shuttle. There was also a delegate social on Saturday night for participants to meet delegates from other schools, socialize, dance, and eat pizza. For those not familiar with Model UN, the procedure follows this: 

• Before the conference, it is strongly recommended that you write a position paper, as it will deepen your understanding of the topic(s) and how your country would most likely respond. They are also required to qualify for awards at most conferences.
• There are three types of committees: General Assemblies, which model permanent UN bodies and deal with long-term global issues; Specialized Committees, which focus on resolving a realistic actual or fictional event; and Crisis Committees, which can be about virtually anything (like the Gossip Girl movie or the opioid crisis) and use UN procedure despite having little or nothing to do with the UN.
• During the first committee meeting, you will have the opportunity to be put on the speaker’s list. Here you will state your country’s concerns and connections to the issue at hand. If there are multiple topics, you should advocate beginning with the one that concerns your country the most during this time.
• You will cycle through moderated (formal presentation of ideas) and unmoderated (delegates may gather informally, usually to form draft resolutions) caucuses via motions that propose a set time and require a simple majority (50%) in favor.
• Once a bloc would like to propose a draft resolution, a simple majority vote is taken and it is presented to the committee. Delegates will have a chance to propose amendments, as well as speak in favor or against the resolution as a whole. A two-thirds majority is required to move in the voting procedure, but only 50% is needed to pass the resolution.

The Austin Prep Model UN team covered a wide array of committee topics, from the shadow economy to land mines and the feminization of poverty. This year’s Crisis Committees also included the incident at the Altamont concert and the 2024 DNC Convention. Though preparation can be stressful and, I admit, a little boring, it is worth it in the end and will allow you to make the most of the event. Head delegate Allie Jenks, who was Amy Klobuchar in the DNC 2024 Spec Committee, recalled: “MUN is always a great time, but BUSUN 2022 was especially fun because of my committee. My favorite part was learning about American politics and collaborating with people I’d never met to work to find a solution. It was amazing to do something that helps me better understand the world around me and my country.” After a wonderful conference at Brown, our team is excited to attend HMUN 2023 this upcoming January.